Cathay Pacific to relocate to Changi Airport T4

The Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific has announced that it will relocate from Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 to the newest Terminal 4 (T4) when it opens in 2017, becoming the first airline to confirm such a move.

In a joint release today (April 30), the Changi Airport Group (CAG) and the airline said some of the key highlights for its passengers at T4 will include an enhanced travel experience with a line-up of self-service initiatives, as well as an expanded dedicated lounge of more than 800sqm for its premium passengers.

Changi Airport’s latest terminal, T4, is designed to handle 16 million passenger movements per annum and is able to support operations for both full-service and budget carriers.

With more than 130 weekly flights to and from Changi Airport, Cathay Pacific’s relocation to the new terminal will also provide it with “good room for future growth”, said the statement.

Mr Wilson Yam, General Manager, Southeast Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways, said: “As a keen adopter of technology aimed at improving passenger experience, self check-in options have always been offered by Cathay Pacific at all our stations. Changi Airport is one of Cathay Pacific’s largest bases outside Hong Kong so we are very excited at this opportunity to offer a transformational on-ground product for our valued passengers.”

CAG’s Executive Vice President of Air Hub and Development, Mr Yam Kum Weng, said the group is “delighted with Cathay Pacific’s acceptance of our invitation to relocate its operations to T4” and looks forward to a close partnership with the airline at T4 come 2017.

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Malaysia opens new budget airport on Friday

Malaysia this week opens what it calls the world's largest airport built specifically for low-cost airlines, a project driven by budget travel's phenomenal growth but which debuts under the shadow of missing flight MH370.

The $1.2 billion facility near the main Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was originally targeted to open three years ago but has been hit by repeated delays, amid concerns over safety and subpar construction, even as costs have doubled.

But the new KLIA2 budget terminal will begin operations Friday with an initial 56 flights, increasing the load as airlines move full operations over from a nearby existing facility in coming days.

Analysts and the travelling public agree the opening of a new budget terminal is long overdue.

The current low-cost terminal is a cramped and bare-bones facility that resembles a bus station. Capacity is 15 million passengers, but about 22 million squeezed through last year.

The gleaming KLIA2 meanwhile covers an area equal to 24 football fields, authorities said, about four times the size of the facility it is replacing.

Its modern design features soaring ceilings, natural lighting, people-mover belts and improved connectivity with access to an existing express airport train to Kuala Lumpur 50 kilometres (31 miles) away.

Malaysia-based Malindo Air, the Philippines' Cebu Pacific Air, Singapore's Tiger Airways, and Indonesia's Lion Air and Mandala Airlines will begin initial operations there Friday.

Regional low-cost leader AirAsia plans to join them by May 9, when the old terminal is due to close.

About 24 million passengers are expected to pass through KLIA2 in the first 12 months, and annual capacity is 45 million. Current capacity at the main KLIA terminal is roughly 40 million, but expansion plans are in the works.

"KLIA2 will cement Kuala Lumpur's position as a thriving hub for both low-cost and full-service travel," said Bashir Ahmad, managing director of state-linked airport operator Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) which built KLIA2.

Kuala Lumpur has been at the core of a regional budget-travel boom credited in large part to Malaysia-based AirAsia.

The once-failing airline was acquired in 2001 by outspoken Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes.

He quickly turned it into one of the aviation industry's biggest success stories, its rapid regional growth helping to broaden a market that has benefited a host of Asian competitors.

"AirAsia is the driving force behind this growth because of its size and its ability to attract travellers with its price-sensitive tickets," said Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst with Malaysia-based Endau Analytics.

"KLIA2 will serve as a catalyst to propel air travel in Asia, which is experiencing robust growth."

But the still-unexplained March 8 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which took off from the main KLIA, has raised worldwide concern over Malaysian aviation and focused attention on KLIA2's problems.

Its delays and rising costs triggered an ongoing inquiry by a parliamentary committee and accusations last month by impatient AirAsia officials of "many concerns, especially on functionality, safety and security."

These included depressions on runways and taxiways, said the airline, which threatened not to move in. MAHB has acknowledged KLIA2 is on unstable ground that will require years of upkeep.

Malaysia's government is accused of presiding over a crony capitalist system often blamed for frequent problems and unexplained cost overruns in big projects.

Fernandes has previously accused the government of favouring loss-making flag carrier Malaysia Airlines over profitable rivals like AirAsia.

But AirAsia agreed in mid-April it would move over to KLIA2 after the government said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) would inspect the facility.

Malaysia said last week ICAO approval was given.

"I would like to confirm that KLIA2 is safe," Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters last week.

Fernandes declined comment.

Shukor said the Asian budget-travel segment had roughly tripled over the past decade to about 50-70 million passengers in 2013, or about 20 percent of regional air traffic.

The expanding Asian middle class means the market can expect further "robust growth of up to 10 percent annually, especially with the launch of KLIA2."

Pushing a baggage trolley, Agnes Tay, 33, a financial manager for Adidas who was among volunteers in a recent KLIA2 trial run, called the terminal "a breath of fresh air."

"It is clean and I feel safe. It will make me fly more often," Tay said.

Malaysia hopes KLIA2 will help increase and broaden the flow of tourists to the country. Nearly 26 million came in 2013, the vast majority driving over from neighbouring Singapore.

MH370 has cast a cloud over hopes of increasing fast-growing arrivals from China, Malaysia's third-largest source of tourists.

Two-thirds of the 239 people on MH370 were from China and tens of thousands of Chinese have cancelled plans to visit.

But analysts said long-term effects are not expected.

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Japan airlines post falling profits on high fuel costs

Japan's two biggest airlines said Wednesday that their full-year net profit had tumbled despite higher demand for air travel, blaming high fuel costs for shrinking their bottom line.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) took the biggest hit with its operator saying that net profit nosedived by 56 per cent to 18.89 billion yen ($185 million) in the fiscal year to March.

Revenue, however, came in at a record 1.60 trillion yen, up from 1.48 trillion yen in the previous 12 months, "helped by a gradual recovery in the Japanese economy", ANA Holdings said.

ANA's biggest domestic rival Japan Airlines said its fiscal year net profit slipped 3.2 per cent, and warned that earnings this year would also stumble.

The carrier said it booked a 166.25 billion yen net profit in the year to March, down from 171.67 billion yen a year earlier, while revenue ticked up to 1.31 trillion yen from 1.24 trillion yen.

For the current year to March 2015, JAL forecast that net profit would come in lower at 115.0 billion yen.

"The escalation of fuel costs due to the weak yen may prevail and competition may intensify in both international and domestic markets," it said.

A sharp drop in the yen, while giving a boost to Japanese exporters, has hurt the country's airlines by pushing up the cost of fuel, often a carrier's single biggest expense.

The yen has lost about a quarter of its value against the dollar since late 2012 following a policy blitz launched by Japanese premier Shinzo Abe and his hand-picked team at the Bank of Japan, aimed at kickstarting economic growth and beating deflation.

ANA said its fuel costs jumped 22 per cent from a year earlier, as it forecasted a net profit of 35 billion yen on revenue of 1.7 trillion yen in the current year to March.

A recovery in demand for flights on Chinese routes has been one bright spot after a longstanding Tokyo-Beijing territorial dispute erupted anew in late 2012, sparking a consumer boycott of Japanese brands that hurt firms for months.

Relations remain tense, but Japanese companies have reported that sales are returning to pre-dispute levels.

"The business on Chinese routes remains fragile," Mitsuru Miyazaki, analyst at SMBC Friend Securities in Tokyo, told AFP.

"The diplomatic factor may also weigh on Japanese travellers' interest in China. Looking ahead, the domestic economic recovery as well as an expansion of slots for international flights should be positives for the current year."

Both ANA and JAL have been working to recover from the global grounding of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner last year.

The pair are the US-based firm's biggest customers for the state-of-the-art plane, which only resumed flying after a months-long grounding -- caused by a series of battery problems -- forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

The firms are also fighting off increasing competition from a handful of low-cost carriers that have sprung up in recent years in a market they have long dominated.

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Plane lands safely in Australia after engine fire

A passenger plane carrying 93 people landed safely at Perth Airport on Tuesday despite a dramatic midair engine fire shortly after take-off, officials said.

No one was hurt during the scare on the Cobham Aviation jet bound from Perth for Barrow Island in Western Australia, but some passengers panicked.

"Fuel starting spewing out, caught alight, there was a bit of panic on board but the pilots were quite quick to react and cut fuel lines and then put it out," Jason Grimmett, who was on the plane, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"So we just turned around and came back in."

Grimmett said most of those on board remained calm as the four-engine plane returned to the terminal, but not all.

"There was a couple of guys that were panicking quite bad but we've still got three other engines, so unless something major goes wrong, just a bit of fuel caught alight," he said.

A spokeswoman for the government agency Airservices Australia told AFP there was a fire in the number two engine shortly after departure.

"The pilot shut it down, the flames were extinguished and the plane returned to Perth," she said.

"It landed safely and was able to taxi to its gate. The fire services provided an escort on the ground."

Witnesses on the ground said they saw flames billowing from an engine of the British Aerospace 146 jet while it was in the air and feared the worst.

"As soon as it got up over the buildings, I could see a 20 metre or 30 metre trail of red and white smoke coming from the left-hand engine," said a caller to local radio station 6PR, identified only as Gary.

"It was climbing at the time and it just looked terrible, it looked like it was going to be a disaster."

The airline is a charter company servicing regional Western Australia.

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Top airline partners honoured at Changi Airline Awards

Twenty-four awards were presented to the airline community across six categories at the 9th Changi Airline Awards on Tuesday evening.

The annual awards, organised by the Changi Airport Group, celebrate the partnership of airlines operating at Changi Airport and their contributions towards the growth of Singapore's air hub.

China Eastern Airlines received the Partner of the Year Award for its significant contributions to grow and strengthen services between China and Singapore.

China was the fifth largest source of passenger traffic for Changi Airport last year, with a total of 4.64 million passengers travelling between Singapore and China, a 6.4 per cent increase compared with 2012.

China Eastern Airlines is the largest Chinese carrier operating at Changi Airport in terms of passenger traffic.

The airline carried more than 650,000 passengers in 2013, and over the past five years, the number of passengers served by the airline increased at a compounded annual growth rate of more than 10 per cent.

The top five passenger carriers at Changi Airport last year were Singapore Airlines, Tigerair Singapore, SilkAir, Jetstar Asia and AirAsia Berhad.

In the cargo airlines category, Singapore Airlines Cargo continued to top the list, followed by FedEx Express, Cathay Pacific, EVA Airways and Air Hong Kong.

Speaking at the ceremony, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew highlighted the need for close partnership within the airport community to adapt to the evolving aviation trends.

Mr Lui said: "To be an effective partnership, we must consult, listen, and work towards win-win solutions. With this close partnership in mind, we will continue to be sensitive to the needs of airlines. In particular, we appreciate the concern that airlines have with costs. We will continue to keep a close eye on it and ensure that Changi Airport remains competitive and offers good value for money."

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Week 56: PPL Flight School Week 25 - PPL Flight Test

Tuesday
D-Day is here, I was scheduled to be the first to fly with the very fierce principal for my PPL flight test. I wasn't scared or nervous, I just wanted to get it over and done with. My preparation for the flight started the day before. Things I did include checking the aircraft for any problem, doing my loading sheet, studying on the licence requirements/privileges/currency, mental flying and making sure all necessary documents were prepared.

My flight was scheduled at 0900hrs and I reported two hours beforehand to get myself ready. I wasn't very optimistic of being able to go up there for my flight test with some heavy downpour which was forecasted to last for the whole day.

After some briefing with the principal, I was told to stay around and wait for any weather improvement. Luckily, there was a slight period of zero precipitation and he instructed me to get ready for circuit flying at least. So I wasted no time and headed for the plane. Trying my best to do everything correctly and efficiently wasn't enough as I still get scolded for some other reasons. To make things worse, the moment I entered the runway for take-off, the heavy rain came and I could barely see what was ahead of me. That caused me to be distracted and my short-field take-off speeds were all incorrect, resulting in a lecture from the principal.

First landing was poor with some bouncing but I managed to get it under control. The wet runway didn't make things any better. Short-field landing, flapless landing, go-around, low level circuit, normal landing, EFATO and glide landing were all carried out.

By the end of it, the northern training area showed some glimpse of sunlight and we continued ahead to test me on area work. Steep turns were fine, stalling was a total disaster as the plane simply refused to stall and I lost about 300ft of height with my nose pitched to maximum. There was something very weird with the plane. Noticing that on the clean stall, I simulated a stall for incipient stall and forgot to apply full power on recovery. Yea, that stunt got me screamed at and I heard no end of it till I returned to the apron.

Slow cruise was next and I had to maintain 75kts in clean configuration, plus turning while maintain height.  Next was PFL which was also done to standard, but I hesitated a while while choosing my landing field and got scolded again haha. And finally, instrument flying with unusual attitude recovery. It was done with no trouble and I was instructed to head back to base right after. After the few unusual attitude recoveries, I got kinda disoriented after removing my hood. Thankfully I didn't screw up and was able to get us back to base safely.

Final part of my test ended with another glide approach landing, and that was done sweetly with no issue on my landing. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as the principal took over control and flew one circuit himself. Back at the flight centre, I was tasked to recall all mistakes I've committed in the test and why did those happen.

It wasn't the best flying performance from me, but it was also the worst conditions I've flown in. Nevertheless, it was a very good experience and he eventually passed me. I was so glad that it ended and I couldn't wait to grab a good meal as a reward for myself!!

Celebratory drink at night!

The strip of paper clipped to my yoke as reminder of the elements of my test

For the first time in almost 7months, I got to eat my favourite sashimi!! It was heavenly.... 

Thursday
After my whirlwind flight on Tuesday, I'm left with my final 0.8hrs of solo time left. Had a good break on Wednesday to digest the fact that I've passed my flight test, and I was raring to go again. Sadly, with just so little hours left, I could only do a few rounds of circuit flying, something I would consider as a "lap of honour" to celebrate my little goal achieved.

Flight was scheduled at 0930hrs, with the weather not looking good at all once day broke. It was raining when I was travelling to airport. All of the solo flights planned for the morning were cancelled. Good thing that my aircraft won't be used by another student till noon time and my flight will only be a short one.

And so I waited for the cold front to travel past, the clouds to clear and finally see the sunlight. Eventually, the conditions became good enough for my short solo flight and I took the plane up on a wet runway at 1030hrs. It was a very peaceful flight with me the only one flying in the circuit. There was a fair bit of crosswind and I made use of the chance to hone my crosswind landing technique.

To my surprise, I was actually getting the hang of it but my lack of experience showed when I couldn't replicate the same beauty of it in every landing. Time flies when I'm enjoying myself as I had to make a full-stop after four rounds, signalling the end of my solo flying, probably my last ever solo in my career.

The very moment I touched down, memories came flashing back on how far I've come. My first solo on 23rd Jan happened with aplomb till this day 24th Apr when it finished with so much peace. Within these three months, 16hrs of solo time were painstakingly clocked, but it felt like only yesterday I was the greenhorn flying my first solo.

I'm happy yet sad that this is the end of solo flying. Happy because I survived this phase of flying as there is no denying that flying alone with such low experience has its huge risks. I'm also sad that perhaps I will never fly alone again and the enjoyment along with it will end here.

Nevertheless, I'm glad it's done and I can look forward to a more crucial stage of training in the weeks ahead.

Finally I get some good weather condition after waiting for 3hrs

Dinner 240414. You don't get any wings for passing the PPL test, so I made do with a different kinda wings

Friday
My last flight of the week was sort of boring as it was a further revision on previous lessons. Took off at 1530hrs with lots of bush fires around the training area. Visibility was poor but my lesson was on Instruments flying, which means I was flying blind under the hood. Boring nautical miles were covered with me doing the T-Scan on my G1000 screen.

Along the way, my instructor did some violent unusual attitudes for me to recover followed by a demonstration of negative-G dive. I could barely take the dive and panicked for a stop after the plane lost about 400ft within a few seconds. Yeah, I feel like a pussy for being so lousy. However, I was close to throwing up by then and if I pressed on, I'll probably need the sick bag.

The lesson ended with some circuit flying, finishing off with a short-field landing which I executed to such beauty that it received compliments from my instructor. And when I went into the flight centre after tying down the aircraft, another instructor gave me the thumbs up for that landing too. Haha, I won't deny that it felt great.

A crazy week I've had with me achieving my PPL and completing my solo flying. There's still 23hrs of flight time remaining for me. Another six weeks to be spent here I reckon. It can't get any sooner.

This blue sky was soon covered with smoke from bush burning

China budget airline Spring plans US$400m IPO

Chinese budget carrier Spring Airlines said it plans to raise 2.5 billion yuan (US$400 million) in an initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai to fund fleet expansion in the country's rapidly expanding aviation sector.

The company plans to sell up to 100 million new shares for listing on the main board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, according to a draft prospectus released late Thursday.

Proceeds will be used to help purchase up to nine Airbus A320 aircraft and three A320 flight simulators, as well as to replenish working capital, it said in a document filed with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC).

It already had 39 A320 jets in service and operated 64 inbound and outbound routes at the end of 2013, according to the document.

Spring Airlines first announced plans for an IPO in 2009, seeking to raise more than 1.0 billion yuan, but delayed several times due to sluggish conditions and weakness in the domestic aviation sector, state media has reported.

China's commercial airline industry is dominated by the "Big Three" -- flag carrier Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines -- but a move towards greater competition has seen the growth of smaller players.

The aviation industry in Asia, especially China, is booming with growing middle class keen to take to the air.

This week Shandong Airlines, one of China's smaller carriers, said it has agreed to buy 50 passenger planes from US manufacturer Boeing as it looks to tap that demand.

Spring's share offer plan must still pass several rounds of review by the CSRC before approval.

Based in the commercial hub of Shanghai, Spring Airlines was set up in 2004 with registered capital of 300 million yuan. The firm recorded a net profit of 732.2 million yuan last year, up 17.2 per cent from 2012, the prospectus showed.

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Boeing lifts profit outlook as jetliner demand booms

US aerospace and defence giant Boeing raised its 2014 profit outlook on Wednesday despite a first-quarter profit slide, citing strong demand for its new jetliners.

A sharp rise in pension costs from a change in retirement plans offset Boeing's robust commercial aircraft deliveries as airlines seek to renew ageing fleets with more fuel-efficient jetliners.

Boeing posted net profit in the first quarter of $965 million, down 12.7 per cent from a year ago but nevertheless better than analysts expected.

Boeing took a $334 million charge for retirement plan changes.

Core earnings per share came in at $1.76, three cents higher than a year ago and well above the $1.56 estimate.

Boeing posted an 8.3 per cent rise in revenues to $20.47 billion, and operating cash flow soared 112 per cent to $1.1 billion.

The Chicago-based company raised its 2014 profit forecast to between $7.15 and $7.35 per share, from $7.00 to $7.20, to reflect a tax settlement.

"Our outlook for the full year remains positive on the strength of demand for our fuel-efficient new commercial airplanes, our solid position in global defence, space and security markets" and the company's focus on improving financial and operational strength, Boeing chairman and chief executive Jim McNerney said in a statement.

Though the 2015 earnings forecast missed Wall Street expectations, Boeing shares scored a solid gain. Investors received more than $3 billion during the quarter through its share repurchase program and dividends.

Boeing shares jumped 2.1 per cent to $130.24 in midday trade on the New York Stock Exchange, the best performer on the Dow Jones Industrial Average in an overall lower market.

Commercial aircraft revenues climbed 19 per cent to $12.74 billion on higher deliveries of two of its best-selling models -- the 787 Dreamliner and the 737 -- after the company boosted production rates to cope with surging demand.

Boeing heftily beat European rival Airbus in the deliveries race. The company delivered 161 jetliners in the January-March quarter, a year-over-year gain of 18 per cent; Airbus delivered 141.

The re-engined 737 made up the bulk of the deliveries at 115, while 18 of the high-tech 787 Dreamliners were sent to customers. A year ago, Boeing only delivered one 787 after the airplane was grounded worldwide following battery problems.

The company said it expects to deliver between 715 and 725 jetliners this year, after a record 648 deliveries in 2013.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes won 235 net orders during the first quarter, which ended with a backlog of more than 5,1000 airplanes valued at $374 billion.

Boeing's smaller segment -- Defence, Space and Security -- continued to reflect lower US defence spending in the wake of budget cuts. Revenues fell 5.9 per cent to $7.63 billion, amid a sharp drop in military aircraft revenue.

The company's total backlog was $440 billion, down slightly from the beginning of the year. It included net orders for the first quarter of $19 billion.

At the end of the quarter on March 31, Boeing had a cash pile of $12.2 billion, down from $15.3 billion at the beginning of the year. The decline was mostly due to the share repurchases and the pay-down of maturing debt, it said. Debt was $8.9 billion, down from $9.6 billion.

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China's Shandong Airlines orders 50 Boeing planes worth US$4.6b

Shandong Airlines, one of China's smaller carriers, said it has agreed to buy 50 passenger planes from US manufacturer Boeing for US$4.6 billion, in another sign of the country's growing demand for air travel.

The company signed a deal on Monday to purchase 16 Boeing 737-800s and 34 Boeing 737 MAX planes, a statement said, in a drive to grow its fleet for future business expansion.

China's commercial airline industry is dominated by the "Big Three" -- flag carrier Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines -- but a move towards greater competition has seen the growth of smaller players.

The order represents a win for Boeing in the giant Chinese market and a vote of confidence in its newest family of single-aisle planes, the 737 MAX, which promises greater fuel efficiency.

The manufacturer will begin deliveries of the 737 MAX to global customers beginning in 2017, according to Boeing's website.

Boeing could not be reached to confirm the order, but it typically allows the customer to make the announcement.

Shandong Airlines aims to increase its fleet to more than 140 aircraft by the end of 2020, roughly doubling its total stock of planes, China's official Xinhua news agency late Monday quoted an airline official as saying.

It already operates 67 Boeing 737 planes, Xinhua said.

The airline, based in the eastern province of Shandong, will receive the aircraft in batches between 2016 and 2020, the statement said.

Shandong Airlines, established in 1994, is controlled by the Shandong Aviation Group which is backed by several government shareholders including Air China and the Shandong Economic Development and Investment Co.

Stock investors cheered the plane order. Shandong Airlines, which is listed on China's Shenzhen stock exchange, was up 3.54 per cent by midday on Tuesday.

Fierce rivals Boeing and European consortium Airbus have locked horns in a battle for lucrative orders in China, which is seeing a rapidly expanding domestic airline sector.

While slow growth in Western economies is hitting the aviation industry, Asian countries are booming with an emerging middle class keen to take to the air.

The Asia-Pacific region will require almost 13,000 new airplanes worth US$1.9 trillion over the next 20 years, Boeing said earlier this year.

At Asia's premier air show in February, organisers announced a record high of more than US$32 billion in deals as Asian carriers ordered more aircraft to meet the explosive demand for cheap, short-range travel.

Airbus accounted for nearly half of that total at the Singapore Airshow, with almost US$15 billion worth of orders for its popular A320 single-aisle plane and flagship A380 superjumbo.

Boeing said last year that it expects China's commercial aircraft fleet to triple in size over the next two decades as the country's strong economic growth boosts air traffic.

China will need 5,580 new airplanes worth US$780 billion by 2032, it said.

In September last year it finalised an order with China's Xiamen Airlines of six Boeing 787 Dreamliners, worth about US$1.3 billion at list prices.

And in March last year it signed a deal with Air China for 31 passenger and cargo planes, a deal worth US$5.2 billion at Boeing list prices at the time.

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Teen survives five-hour flight in airplane wheel well

A 16-year-old boy was lucky to be alive on Monday after surviving a flight from California to Hawaii in the wheel well of an airplane, US media reported.

The young stowaway endured freezing temperatures and a lack of oxygen aboard the five-and-a-half hour Hawaiian Airlines flight, which reached an altitude of some 38,000 feet, an FBI official told the Los Angeles Times.

"How he survived, I don't know. It's a miracle," FBI spokesman Tom Simon told the daily following the teen's harrowing journey halfway across the Pacific Ocean.

Security video from the Mineta International Airport in San Jose showed the youth hopping a fence and making his way to Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45, where he climbed, undetected, into the wheel well of the aircraft.

With oxygen scarce and temperatures well below freezing, Simon said the boy appears to have been unconscious "for pretty much the entire" flight.

The aircraft landed on Sunday mid-morning at Maui's Kahului Airport, and the boy, who did not regain consciousness for another hour, woke up, and hopped down onto the tarmac.

Hawaiian Airlines personnel at that point noticed the youth on an airport ramp and notified security, the newspaper wrote.

Despite the security breach that allowed him to reach the plane, there was no indication that boy posed a threat to the airline, and he has not been charged with a crime, report said.

While it is not unheard of, it is extremely rare to survive a flight in the wheel well of an aircraft. Many who try end up freezing to death or succumbing from a lack of oxygen.

In one recent such case, the body of a 26-year-old stowaway was found crumpled on a suburban London street in 2012, after he apparently climbed aboard a British Airways plane in Angola and fell from the wheel well as the plane prepared to land at Heathrow Airport.

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Malaysia Airlines jet in emergency landing after tyre bursts

A Malaysia Airlines plane with 166 people aboard was forced to make an emergency landing in Kuala Lumpur early on Monday in another blow to its safety image after the loss of flight MH370.

Flight MH192, bound for Bangalore, India, turned back to Kuala Lumpur after it was discovered that a tyre had burst on take-off, the airline said.

"As safety is of utmost priority to Malaysia Airlines, the aircraft was required to turn back to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport)," the airline said in a statement.

The plane landed safely at 1:56 am (1756 GMT), nearly four hours after it took off, the flag carrier said.

"All 159 passengers and 7 crew members on board have disembarked from the aircraft."

The airline said tyre debris discovered on the runway had led to the decision to bring the Boeing 737-800 aircraft back.

"They have landed safely -- thank God," tweeted Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is overseeing Malaysia's response to MH370.

The airline is still reeling from the loss and presumed crash of flight MH370, which disappeared March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

MH370 inexplicably diverted and is now believed to have crashed into the remote Indian Ocean with 239 people aboard.

Hishammuddin had tweeted that MH192 went into a holding pattern as other reports quoted officials saying it would only be allowed to land once all of its fuel had been burned off.

MH192's passengers would be accommodated in local hotels and the flight was re-timed to take off at 3:30 pm local time on Monday, the airline said.

Malaysia Airlines had previously enjoyed a good safety record, as did the Boeing 777 aircraft used for MH370.

An Australian-led multi-nation search effort is now scouring a remote area of the Indian Ocean for wreckage from flight MH370 in a bid to confirm its fate and hopefully recover the flight data recorders to determine what happened to it.

No surface debris has been found despite a month of searching, but search crews had earlier picked up signals believed to be from the beacons of the plane's data recorders.

A US Navy submersible sonar scanning device is now being deployed to look for wreckage on the seabed at depths of around 4,500 metres (15,000 feet) or more.

Nothing has yet been found and authorities have indicated they may reassess within days how to approach the extremely challenging search -- expected to be the costliest in aviation history with estimates of more than $100 million.

Malaysia's government and the airline have come under harsh criticism from Chinese relatives of MH370 passengers -- two thirds of its 227 passengers were from China -- who have alleged a bungling response and cover-up.

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Week 55: PPL Flight School Week 24

Monday
After the last minute flight I had the day before, I get scheduled for my third solo nav flight today. I have kind of ran out of places to fly to. Or rather, interesting places that are worth the time. So, I chose two airfields have never been to, one of which is at the edge of my map.

Along the way, I got to fly past the Grampians mountain range. Having been there before on ground, it was quite a sight to view it from 4500ft in the air, and it took way faster to get there by air. It was a pretty good day with fairly blue skies, making the view out of my cockpit even better.

Flying to the edge of my map did give me some sort of special feel in which that any further ahead I go, I will be lost. What's there beyond the map? What are the beautiful features that I will not have the chance to explore? Questions lingered in my mind as I circled overhead the airfield and made a u-turn back to base. It was a fulfilling flight as I got to go where I wanted to and I'm left with 2.5hrs of solo nav time to have my last chance of exploration.

The airfield on the edge of my map 

Grampians

Some mountains I was flying over

Clear blue sky

30 degrees AoB

Back on the ground safely with the sun setting

Moon in the evening twilight

Tuesday
One hour of sim session in the middle of the day. My instructor was a very experienced and knowledgeable pilot in instruments flying and I was very eager to learn from him. After deciding on flying instrument approach, he briefed me very patiently on how it is done firstly on paper, then proceeding on to a demonstration on the sims.

Put the plane on autopilot,  he set everything up and ran through every aspect of the approach with me. from holding to timing to height to descending. This was probably the most enriching sim session I've had. I'm glad that I was able to understand and absorb whatever he taught me, asking him as many questions as I could. Hopefully I'll get to fly the real thing with him when the time comes.

Simulator

Fog at 0645hrs on Wednesday

Can barely find my plane. Tough luck, flight cancelled.

Thursday
The prelude to D-Day is here. I was planned for my Pre-PPL Test assurance flight at 1300hrs. This sortie is one which will test how good you are at whatever you've learnt so far, excluding the navigation part. It consists of circuit flying and area flying.

I started the flight with circuit flying. Taking off with the short-field take-off technique, I applied full power with brakes depressed and released them upon hitting full engine RPM. Applying some slight back pressure on my yoke, I let the aircraft lift off about 50kts, climbing at 62kts for 200ft before adopting 74kts and retracting my flaps at 300ft AGL.

That wasn't so tough, the tougher part came with the short-field landing. I had to be around 62kts when over the threshold, which wasn't an easy speed to maintain especially when I had slight crosswind hitting me. With the lower speed means I lose more control over my plane and it's way tougher to land in crosswind conditions. Nevertheless, I did alright and had a safe landing. Next was flapless landing which wasn't as tough. Then came the normal landing with crosswind technique, which wasn't so beautiful, but we headed for the training area anyway.

Climbing to 5000ft and heading west, I ran through the things that needed to be done. First, I had to do steep turns at 45 degrees angle of bank while maintaining my height within +/- 100ft. Perhaps the weather conditions were good that day, I managed to keep to the tolerance.

Next came the stalling - clean and incipient. Had to do the HASELL checks first before I commenced with the practice. With clean stall, I put the engine to idle and try to maintain my height by applying back pressure. Slowly the stall warning horn came on. After such a long time of not doing it, I had forgotten the great amount of force needed to stall the plane. Ended up my stalls weren't that great. With incipient stall, I set up the plane in approach configuration at 75kts with 20degrees flaps. Once I heard the stall warning come on, I pitch down the aircraft.

Next on was IF practice which I had to fly under the hood. Did a climbing turn as well as a normal Rate-1 turn. It wasn't that tough, managed to get through it without any issues. Finally came the PFL, a thing which I always can't get it done efficiently. My first PFL wasn't good as I selected a field with sheeps and I was way too high to land on it. Upon seeing my mistake of not flying a usual circuit width with regards to the field I've selected, my instructor pointed it out and asked me to try again. This time round, I heeded his advice and managed to do a better PFL.

With that, we headed back to base and did more circuit flying to further sharpen my landings. Eventually, I landed and my instructor was satisfied with my flying and graded me ready for the PPL test, to be held next week with my flight school's principal. I guess I'd have lots of revise and prepare these few days before the D-Day arrives.

Before I got into the plane

Am I ready??

MH370 search estimated to be US$100m, the costliest ever

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is set to be the most expensive in aviation history, analysts say, as efforts to find the aircraft deep in the Indian Ocean show no signs of slowing.

The Boeing 777 vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board, after veering dramatically off course en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and is believed to have gone down in the sea off Australia.

Australia, which is leading the search in a remote patch of water described as "unknown to man", has not put a figure on spending, but Malaysia has warned that costs will be "huge".

"When we look at salvaging (wreckage) at a depth of 4.5 kilometres, no military out there has the capacity to do it," Acting Transport and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Thursday.

"We have to look at contractors, and the cost of that will be huge."

Ravikumar Madavaram, an aviation expert at Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific, said Malaysia, Australia and China, which had the most nationals onboard the flight, were the biggest spenders and estimated the total cost up to now at about US$100 million.

"It's difficult to say how much is the cost of this operation... but, yes, this is definitely the biggest operation ever (in aviation history).

"In terms of costs this would be the highest," he told AFP.

In the first month of the search -- in which the South China Sea and Malacca Strait were also scoured by the US, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam -- the Pentagon said the United States military had committed US$7.3 million to efforts to find the plane.

Meanwhile the Indian Ocean search, in which assets have also been deployed by Australia, Britain, China, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand, has failed to find anything conclusive.

Hopes rest on a torpedo-shaped US Navy submersible, which is searching the ocean floor at depths of more than 4,500 metres in the vicinity of where four signals believed to have come from black box recorders were detected.

David Gleave, an aviation safety researcher at Britain's Loughborough University, said the costs "will be of the order of a hundred million dollars by the time we're finished, if we have found it (the plane) now".

But he said the longer it took to find any wreckage, the more costs would mount because scanning the vast ocean floor "will take a lot of money because you can only search about 50 square kilometres a day".

Salvaging anything would also depend on how deep the ocean is at the crash point and how dispersed the wreckage, with weather and politics also complicating factors, he said.

The fate of MH370 has drawn parallels with the hunt for Air France Flight 447 which plunged into the Atlantic in 2009.

The two-year operation to recover its black box, which involved assets from France, Brazil and the US, has been estimated to have cost 80-100 million euros, according to figures cited by France's Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA).

Australia's Joint Agency Coordination Centre says its main focus is still on finding flight MH370.

"It is one of the most difficult searches ever undertaken and could take some time," JACC said in a statement to AFP.

"The cost of the search is significant. The exact figure has not yet been calculated.

"The cost is being shared by our international partners who have contributed their people and military and civilian assets to help with the search."

As the search continues, all international partners are meeting their own costs. But governments and militaries will need to consider the broader cost implications of the search down the track, said Kym Bergmann, editor of Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter.

"I don't think that the Australians would be getting any change at all out of A$1 million day," he told AFP.

Bergman said it would likely be the most expensive aviation search given how long it had already dragged on.

"It must be starting to worry military planners," he said, adding that any decision to scale back would cause heartache to the families involved.

Malaysia-based Madavaram agreed, saying at present it was still "politically insensitive" to cut spending.

"I think they will continue one or two months irrespective of the costs," he said. "But then if nothing is found, it will become a wild goose chase, and people will start questioning it.”

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SIA-Air New Zealand proposed alliance gets CCS nod

The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) has given the green light for the proposed strategic alliance between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Air New Zealand to go ahead.

In a statement on Thursday, CCS said it finds that the proposed strategic alliance could raise competition concerns, but these would be offset by net economic benefits to Singapore.

Its decision followed a review of the submissions provided by the parties concerned and various stakeholders, including the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Changi Airport Group.

Under the proposed tie-up announced in January, the two carriers plan to increase services between Singapore and New Zealand to tap the growing tourism traffic in the Asia Pacific and the Southwest Pacific markets.

It will allow Air New Zealand passengers to access codeshare travel on the SIA network to Europe, Africa and other parts of Southeast Asia.

In return, SIA customers can travel across Air New Zealand's domestic network and other Pacific destinations.

In response to Thursday's decision by the CCS, SIA said it is pleased that CCS has cleared the proposed alliance.

The strategic alliance remains subject to approval from New Zealand’s Minister of Transport.

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SIA can target premium travellers through F1 packages, say observers

Singapore Airlines can target premium travellers and engage in aggressive marketing -- this was what observers Channel NewsAsia spoke with said when asked how the national carrier can maximise returns from being the title sponsor of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Observers noted that the move may also have been made to stem the dominance of Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates and Gulf Air as Formula One partners.

A blend of speed and technology -- Formula One and aviation seem to be perfect bedfellows. It was a key reason why Singapore Grand Prix wanted Singapore Airlines to be its title sponsor.

This is not the first time Singapore Airlines has been associated with a sporting event -- it has dabbled in horse racing, and was the official airline for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

Paul Ng, an aviation lawyer, said: "I'm not sure whether Singapore Airlines is viewing it purely from a 'returns' point of view. I think they probably view it from a brand-building (perspective), from accessing new markets and also being one of the main brands in Singapore.

"I think this is some (sort of) National Service that Singapore Airlines is doing to help promote Singapore."

In the process, the sponsorship deal can help the carrier grow its business -- Singapore Airlines is battling with Middle Eastern carriers for the public's mind-share as aviation players are no stranger to Formula One deals.

Where it can benefit is to structure comprehensive travel packages around the Singapore night race, so as to reel in high net worth individuals as customers through its role as title sponsor.

Mohit Lalvani, a sports branding consultant, said: "It's important to provide a complete experience with regard to the package. What would I want in a package?

"I want to be picked up at the airport. I want to be taken to my hotel room. I want to be taken to the track. I want the overall experience at the track. I want something more outside the Grand Prix. And I'd like to be delivered back home."

Observers noted that while Singapore Airlines should focus on major Formula One markets like Europe, it could also shift more attention to India, China and Russia -- where interest in the sport is growing.

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China Southern Airlines issues profit warning

China Southern Airlines, the country's largest carrier by fleet size, warned of a loss of more than $50 million in the first three months of the year as it was hit by exchange losses caused by a weaker yuan.

In a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange the firm said it would lose 300-350 million yuan ($48.2-$56.3 million) in January-March. That compares with a net profit of 57 million yuan in the same period last year, the filing said.

"The financial expenses of the company substantially increased as compared with the corresponding period of 2013 due to the exchange losses... resulting from the substantial depreciation of renminbi," the company said.

The yuan -- which China's central bank allows to rise and fall only within a controlled band -- slid in March its lowest level against the dollar in nearly 13 months. Analysts have said Beijing has moved to weaken the currency to control speculative funds betting on its continued rise.

The US Treasury on Tuesday warned that the recent fall of yuan could "raise particularly serious concerns" if it represents a reversal in Beijing's commitment to a more free-floating currency. However, it did say China was not a manipulator.

A weak yuan adds pressure to the bottom lines of Chinese airlines that depend on debt measured in foreign currencies, particularly in US dollars, to finance purchases of new aircraft.

China Southern's Hong Kong-listed shares were down 1.62 percent at HK$2.43 in by the break on Wednesday, while the benchmark Hang Seng Index was up 0.63 percent.

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SIA is new title sponsor of F1 Singapore GP

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has signed a deal to become the official title sponsor for the Formula One (F1) Singapore Grand Prix (GP).

Announced on Tuesday, the contract is for two years and comes with an option to extend the sponsorship.

SIA takes over from SingTel as the title sponsor of the race.

The organisers of the Singapore Grand Prix and SIA described the new partnership as a perfect fit.

Goh Choon Phong, chief executive officer of SIA, said: "F1 is a great brand, it's a well-known brand in sports circles, and it has international appeal. If you look at it the other way, SIA has a great brand, (and) SIA operates only internationally -- I think that's a great fit in that sense."

Michael Roche, executive director of Singapore GP, said: "There're only a few companies in Singapore, a Singapore brand that would really have the appetite or ability to take on this sponsorship. So therefore, it became a little bit easier."

The new sponsorship also marks the end of SingTel's six-year affiliation with F1's first ever night race.

Singapore GP declined to say why or who terminated the partnership.

SingTel had an original five-year sponsorship contract, and took the option to extend it for the 2013 race.

In a statement, it said it was honoured to have sponsored the race since 2008.

It called the partnership "fantastic", adding that it was pleased that another flagship local brand is taking over as title sponsor.

Allen Lew, chief country officer at SingTel, said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to showcase Singapore to the world, strengthening SingTel as a global brand and bringing the Formula One closer to Singaporeans with our activities. This has been a fantastic partnership and we are pleased to see that another flagship Singapore brand will be taking over the reins.”

Race officials declined to reveal the actual cost of the sponsorship, only saying that it was similar to what SingTel had paid.

Negotiations first took place at the end of the last Singapore Grand Prix, but things really took off in the last three to four months.

While no official figures are available, the annual sponsorship has been estimated to be in the region of S$15 million.

For regular F1 fans, it will be business as usual. No major changes are planned for this year's race, and that includes ticket prices.

Singapore GP said the government agencies it works with ensure that prices are maintained at a certain level.

Mr Roche said: "Overall, we try to maintain it, which isn't always easy, because at the end of every single event, by the next Monday or Tuesday, people say 'that was great -- how are you going to do better next year? What are you going to deliver more?' But we don't have the luxury of jacking up prices all the time."

The race will now be called the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.

While it is a mouthful, organisers are looking on the bright side, saying it will reinforce the country's brand around the world.

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SIA carried fewer passengers in March, but cargo improved

Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Tuesday it carried fewer passengers in March and warned the operating environment remained challenging.

The Singapore flag carrier carried 1.51 million passengers last month -- a drop of 3.8 per cent from a year ago.

SIA's systemwide passenger carriage, which tracks revenues relative to distance travelled by passengers, decreased 5.4 per cent year-on-year, while passenger load factor -- a measure of the proportion of seats filled -- fell to 75 per cent from 79.3 per cent.

"The weaker passenger carriage was attributed to a combination of the Easter demand shift from March last year to April this year, and soft demand to Bangkok," SIA said in a statement.

SIA said its yields are expected to remain under pressure as efforts are made to boost loads in the current challenging operating environment.

The cargo business, however, showed some signs of improvement, with the overall cargo load factor rising by 0.8 percentage points to 68.0 per cent.

SOURCE

AirAsia agrees to move to troubled new Malaysia airport

Malaysian budget airline AirAsia said on Tuesday it would move to a much-delayed new international terminal set to open next month despite recently criticising it as rife with safety issues and other problems.

The facility near Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is being touted by Malaysian authorities as the world's largest low-cost airline terminal.

But the so-called "klia2" has been hit by repeated delays, construction problems and costly overruns that have sparked a parliamentary investigation and harsh criticism by AirAsia directed at the state-linked Malaysian airport operator building the terminal.

However, AirAsia, which has rapidly become one of the world's top budget airlines, said in a statement Tuesday it was now satisfied with the government's commitment to safety after authorities said the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) would be brought in to evaluate klia2.

"This decision reflects the priority that the government is giving to the issue of safety, and assuring the public that klia2 is safe," it said in a statement, adding it would move into the facility for its May 9 opening.

AirAsia had said two weeks ago it would not move in unless "unresolved pressing issues" were addressed, including "depressions" on the runway it said were discovered by independent inspectors.

AirAsia has also complained that it was shut out of decision-making, despite being the facility's biggest and most important future tenant.

Its concerns raised further questions about aviation safety in the country as authorities struggle with the crisis of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

AFP was unable to reach AirAsia officials immediately for comment on the sudden about-face.

AirAsia group boss Tony Fernandes said on his Twitter feed that "some good progress" had been made on klia2.

The facility is being built by the country's airport operator, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

MAHB has said carriers will have to move in by May 9, when it plans to close an existing low-cost terminal nearby which handled 22 million passengers last year.

The klia2 terminal was originally due to open in 2011 but has been repeatedly delayed, and its price tag has doubled to $1.2 billion.

MAHB has previously acknowledged klia2 is located on unstable ground that may settle, and that the facility could require years of resulting upkeep.

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Week 54: PPL Flight School Week 23

Monday
Based on the weather forecasted for this whole week, everyday was going to be bad weather of rain and low clouds. Thus I was actually quite sad that if I wasn't planned for flight today, I can forget about flying for the rest of the week. Lucky enough, I was scheduled for my second solo nav flight at 1400hrs.

With mother nature on my side, I planned an ambitious flight to the south, to an aerodrome that is just by the coastline at the southern edge of Victoria where the 12 apostles are. It was an exciting flight which I've been looking forward to since I set foot in Victoria state. For a backup plan, I also planned a northern route just in case the instructor doesn't approve of my route to the south.

Thankfully, it got approved and I happily set out on this little adventure of mine. Climbing to the height of 4500ft overhead my home base, I flew on track towards my first checkpoint which I've never been to. In fact, both my checkpoints of this flight were new to me. Referring to the map, ground features and keeping track of my time, I managed to hit my first checkpoint without any trouble.

Next checkpoint was the one which is the most exciting one where I can get to see the coast and ocean. In the midst of flying there, I can vaguely and slowly see the coastline far ahead. I had to be careful of some low clouds and kept weaving in and out of bush fires along the way. There were so many hotspots that my cockpit smell burnt at times. But nothing was going to deter me from hitting the coastal town, and I wasn't disappointed.

Finally I get to see blue waters of the ocean and what a sight it was! I get to see Great Ocean Road and the famous natural landform of the 12 Apostles. It was so beautiful to see everything at 3500ft and I believe it is a very rare chance to have such an experience in life. I'm grateful I'm fortunate enough to be presented with such an opportunity to enjoy it in this way.

Circled the area for quite a while before I reluctantly head back to base as I was running out of time. It was a long long way back nearing to 80 nautical miles. I made a mistake at this leg back to base as I forgot that I had to change my flight altitude to 3500ft. I continued at 4500ft and that resulted in head-on traffic at the similar height! An oncoming aircraft alerted me on the radios and I had to alter my height to 5000ft for safe separation. All this while I wasn't aware that I had to fly at 3500ft as planned. Why did this happen? Well that was because I failed to do my CLEAR checks properly. Another lesson for me then, and this mistake shall never be repeated.

I landed at base with some crosswind. It wasn't beautiful but I was simply relieved when all my wheels touched the ground again after almost three hours in the air. It was tiring but a very satisfying flight.

Having her around gives me an assurance during solo flights

Cumulus cloud

The coastline ahead

By the coast with the 12 apostles lining it

One of the many bush fires along my track

See how close it is to my track!!

Sunday
It was another day with no flight scheduled for me. Previous nav check flight on Wednesday was cancelled due to bad weather and I have no idea when I'll get to fly again since it has been five days on the ground. I woke up early to make some pancakes for breakfast and watched the clouds float by in the sky. The dark and gloomy weather from Tuesday to Friday was finally over. Blue skies overhang above my head with the sun shining greatly on my skin so starved of some heat. The wind was pretty strong though, and because of that, I got the chance to fly my nav check for my third solo nav. Well, my course mate's circuit solo flight was cancelled and his instructor was freed up for me.

Grabbed the chance to fly with some super speed preparation with me taking only one hour from leaving house to starting the engine of the aircraft. Within this hour, I completed a 30% done flight plan, get approval from instructor and did my pre-flight checks. It was the very first time I'm flying with this instructor for nav and I wasn't very sure of what exactly he will do.

So up we went to 3500ft heading for my first checkpoint in the south, but not before he simulated an engine failure during take-off haha. I got my halfway point as well as my 10mile point right on and he seemed fine with my nav skills and flying. However, just when I was about to change track to head for my next checkpoint, he comment that he's very bored with that place and suggested we do a diversion to somewhere we've never been before, which he did.

I was tasked to fly to a very small town with no airfield about 33 nautical miles away. I got the diversion done with him taking over the controls while I planned on my map the new track to fly to as well as the time needed to reach there. I had to dig deep and use my navigational skills and sense to fly correctly to the new checkpoint.

Pointed out to him the numerous features on the ground along the way and he was convinced that I was sure of what I was doing. After reaching the checkpoint, I was tasked to fly back to base and this time I had to control the aircraft and complete my diversion work all by myself. Thankfully it was done without incident and we were on track to head home after a quick diversion work was done by me on the map.

Along the way back, he continued asking me where is our current location and even tested me on how am I going to tell Melbourne Centre about my location if I suffer an engine failure. Then when I was about 12 nautical miles away from base, he did a PFL with me and I totally was caught offguard and screwed it up. I was so poor in it he asked me to go-around and head back to base instead. he commented that my PFL is a failure if I did that in a pre-PPL test.

That definitely didn't feel good for me and somehow affected my circuit joining which was messy and he commented that I was sloppy. To make things worse, there was another aircraft in the circuit disrupting the correct way of circuit flying and my instructor had to take over the controls on final leg so that we don't have to go-around.

Not a good way to end my nav check I guess, but he was happy with my navigational skills and approved me of my next nav solo. With that, he gave me an advice which I will always keep in mind, and that is "you will never be prepared for a PFL. What you have to do is to be ever ready for an engine failure and be proficient in all your checks". He can't be more right about it.

What I thought would be another boring day on ground turned out to be pretty eventful with my next nav solo flight planned for the following day.

The day ended in an even better note with Liverpool winning against Man City!!

Etihad boss meets Italian PM with Alitalia deal close: Ansa

Etihad Airways boss James Hogan met with Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Thursday, as his company nears a deal to purchase a stake in debt-laden Alitalia airline, Italian media reported.

The meeting took place in the prime minister's official residence with Renzi's right-hand man cabinet secretary Graziano Delrio also attending.

The Ansa news agency cited sources saying that a deal on could be in place "within hours".

On Tuesday, Italy's Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi told a Senate hearing that Abu Dhabi-based Etihad had completed its assessment on whether to purchase a stake in Alitalia and that a draft deal could be imminent.

Italian business daily Il Sole 24 Ore also on Tuesday said Etihad was planning to buy a stake of around 40 per cent, which would make it by far the biggest shareholder in the carrier and respect the 49.9-percent limit for non-European airlines.

It also said Etihad could invest between 300 million and 500 million euros ($414 million and $690 million) in return for a restructuring plan that would include up to 3,000 job cuts and an upgrade of infrastructure.

Alitalia in February reached a deal with trade unions for the equivalent of 1,900 job cuts and in September last year shareholders gave unanimous approval for a capital increase to save the airline from bankruptcy.

Etihad is expanding rapidly and has bought minor shares in several smaller carriers including Air Berlin and India's Jet Airways as it competes with larger Gulf rivals Emirates and Qatar Airways.

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IATA wants crackdown on unruly flight passengers

The International Air Transport Association urged governments on Thursday to take stronger action against unruly passengers on commercial flights.

The Montreal-based global airline alliance agreed at a diplomatic conference last week on changes to the Tokyo Convention of 1963, which provides the legal framework for dealing with passengers whose unruly or otherwise disruptive behavior leads to violence or threatens flight safety.

"This agreement is good news for everybody who flies -- passengers and crew alike," IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler said in a statement.

"The changes, along with the measures already being taken by airlines, will provide an effective deterrent for unacceptable behavior on board aircraft.

"But governments must now follow up on the success of the diplomatic conference and ratify the new protocol."

About 300 incidents of unruly behavior are reported each week.

"We urge governments to move quickly," Tyler added.

The changes, agreed at the conference attended by officials from about 100 governments, will come into force once 22 states ratify the protocol to the Tokyo Convention.

The protocol namely allows authorities not only in the country in which the aircraft was registered but also in the destination country to take legal action against unruly passengers.

The move closes a loophole the IATA said had allowed "many" serious offenses to go unpunished.

Among the agreed changes, the protocol more clearly defines unruly behavior -- to include both the threat of or actual physical assault, or the refusal to follow safety instructions -- and helps recover major costs associated with the misbehavior.

"Unruly passengers are a very small minority," Tyler said.

"But unacceptable behavior on board an aircraft can have serious consequences for the safety of all on board. The goal is to effectively deter such behavior and ensure safe flights for all by making the consequences of such behavior clear and enforceable."

The aviation body has 240 members that account for 84 per cent of total air traffic worldwide.

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Tigerair will roar again: CEO

Budget carrier Tigerair has suffered a bumpy ride recently, but CEO Koay Peng Yen, told CNBC's Managing Asia he's confident the airline will soon return to its glory days.

As Singapore's first budget carrier offering no frills service at affordable rates, Tigerair enjoyed exponential growth in the first seven years of operation. But its fortunes nosedived in July 2011 when the Australian Civil Aviation Authority grounded its operations for six weeks leading to losses of 104 million Singapore dollars ($83.18 million) that financial year and a change in chief executive officer.

"We will make Tigerair roar again. Tigerair will emerge stronger and better," said Koay.

"We have reported operating losses, we can't be continuing on that basis. So the plan is to actually turn it around - we have put a few things in place to address that," he added.

The budget carrier, which flies some 10 million passengers to over 50 destinations across Asia Pacific annually and is partly owned by Singapore Airlines, has undergone a major makeover. It partially offloaded its Australian subsidiary in July 2013 and sold off its Philippines offshoot when it divested its 40 percent stake to Philippines budget carrier Cebu Air earlier this year but maintained an alliance with the firm.

Tigerair reported net and operating losses for the three months to December 2013 of 119 million Singapore dollars in January. The company's shares - traded in Singapore - have slumped 37 percent over the past 12 months.

Despite negative sentiment, Koay said he's confident the carrier's turnaround plan was in full swing.

"There are a few phases that we are focusing on. The first phase - what I call the putting out the fires phase - we have completed that. We are now in the second and third phases of our turnaround," he added.

The second phase will involve managing capacity and refocusing operations in Singapore through alliances, he said.

The Tigerair CEO told CNBC that currency weakness in both Indonesia and the Philippines has proven problematic.

"We have lost money in our investment in the Philippines, and those have been written off. We are going to start a new chapter," he added.

Tigerair's operations in Indonesia have also been a trouble spot for the airline recently, with talk of a potential sale as the airline has faced tough competition from other budget carriers like LionAir, AirAsia and Garuda.

"The rupiah hit us a lot. As you know, the rupiah went down over 20 percent in the second half of last year, so that has added stress to the company," he said.

He said he was combating this headwind by expanding internationally and had recently added new flights from both Bali and Jakarta to Hong Kong, stressing that the firm would focus on flights that raise the highest yields.

Following Tigerair's sale of 60 percent of its Australian unit to Virgin Australia, Peng Yen said it would be premature to start talking about an exit from Australia.

"We can't keep on losing money in Australia... so we are looking forward to having a turnaround," he added.

The recent disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 flight in a month ago has cast a dark shadow over the airline industry amid safety concerns.

"Whenever there is an aircraft incident, we also pour over the details to find out what are the learning points, and how we can do it better," added Koay.

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